Psycho-Babble Psychology Thread 1096314

I could use some opinions. Lately, I get these anxiety spikes. Usually these surround news, politics mostly, but also the wildfires in my state. I've been diagnosed with GAD, but there's ptsd, too, so I get 'triggered'.

Considering these are ongoing situations, I need to deal. Does anyone have these issues, and even if you don't, what do you do to cultivate calm? (I'm already medicated.)

In reply to help with anxiety, posted by beckett2 on December 11, 2017, at 19:10:53

I wish you well. I have a lot of friends who are in a constant state of anxiety about what's going on in the country/world. I'm just not an anxious person. It helps that I teach college economics, so I have an outlet, where I can incorporate some if this into my courses and hope that some students are effected enough to want to try and change things. It makes me feel less powerless.

In reply to Re: help with anxiety » baseball55, posted by beckett2 on December 12, 2017, at 19:40:38

I took a class a couple of years ago in meditation and worked with a DBT therapist for a few years on mindfulness. Both very associated with Buddhism. One of the sayings of Buddhists is that pain is inevitable, but suffering is optional. I really didn't get this at all when I first heard it. But I now understand it means that we create additional suffering when we are unable to let go of our response to pain/disappointment/uncertainty, etc.

We all face negative events and emotions. But we can tolerate them if we don't respond with rumination, worry, despair. I never really followed through on the meditation, but I do try to cultivate mindfulness - focusing on the moment, rather than the past and future (I wish this had never happened; what if that happens?). There are activities that I find are very mindful (keep me in the moment) - practicing piano, swimming, binge-watching a really good series.

But it's a practice. You have to work at it. As in - I am going to walk down the block and notice every sound I hear and forget, for five minutes, my anxiety. I didn't suffer from anxiety, but I did suffer from suicidal obsessions. I had to learn to do this little bits at a time. I'll wash the dishes and think only about the water and soap. I'll walk the length of the room and count my steps and not think about anything else. If you practice it daily for longer and longer periods, eventually you find that you have some control over your emotional responses.

In reply to Re: help with anxiety, posted by baseball55 on December 15, 2017, at 17:02:04

Yoga can be good if you can find a good teacher. A good teacher is one who encourages / allows each person to work on their own individual journey of self-improvment rather than one that gets hung-up on between person comparisons.

I like it for the mindfulness. How you learn to sit with a pose through its comfort and through its discomfort. The discomfort is transient. You can handle more discomfort than you thought you could etc.

I like it for it's focus on breathing. Anxiety can be partly bound up with breathing quickly and shallowly. Intentionally breathing more deeply and more slowly (more like a sleep state) can be quite calming. It can physically slow your heart rate etc, even.

I like it for how you can work quite hard at it and the sense of calm and relaxation you get from finishing the hard work. So, tensing up your muscles as hard as you can for a bit (in a pose) tires them out so it's easier to relax them when you break out of the pose later.

In reply to Re: help with anxiety, posted by baseball55 on December 15, 2017, at 17:02:04

> I took a class a couple of years ago in meditation and worked with a DBT therapist for a few years on mindfulness. Both very associated with Buddhism. One of the sayings of Buddhists is that pain is inevitable, but suffering is optional. I really didn't get this at all when I first heard it. But I now understand it means that we create additional suffering when we are unable to let go of our response to pain/disappointment/uncertainty, etc. > > We all face negative events and emotions. But we can tolerate them if we don't respond with rumination, worry, despair. I never really followed through on the meditation, but I do try to cultivate mindfulness - focusing on the moment, rather than the past and future (I wish this had never happened; what if that happens?). There are activities that I find are very mindful (keep me in the moment) - practicing piano, swimming, binge-watching a really good series. > > But it's a practice. You have to work at it. As in - I am going to walk down the block and notice every sound I hear and forget, for five minutes, my anxiety. I didn't suffer from anxiety, but I did suffer from suicidal obsessions. I had to learn to do this little bits at a time. I'll wash the dishes and think only about the water and soap. I'll walk the length of the room and count my steps and not think about anything else. If you practice it daily for longer and longer periods, eventually you find that you have some control over your emotional responses.

Thank you baseball55. I forget to practice. Sometimes I feel discouraged, but your right, I think, with walking meditaions--mindfulness. Unfortunately, rumination is major expression of my depressive episodes. Thank you for the reminder :)

In reply to Re: help with anxiety, posted by alexandra_k on December 15, 2017, at 21:37:29

Hi Alex, yes, I love walking, good brisk walking. I used to run, and that was amazing, but after a back injury, that's contraindicated. Getting outside. I'm experiencing agoraphobia at the moment, I'm embarrassed to admit, and going out is difficult. I'm very neurotic :(

I need my therapist again. Took a break and the break turned into a very long absence.

In reply to Re: help with anxiety » alexandra_k, posted by beckett2 on December 19, 2017, at 20:48:55

That's good you know what you need. Can you go back, to therapy?

Sorry you can't run, anymore.

I have had a bit of a hard time not doing so much weightlifting anymore, when I really used to enjoy that. I just can't access the equipment, here, unless I want to lift in a group work-y communal fashion and I really just don't. I can't immerse myself in the activity in an enjoyable way when I need to mind what other people are doing and involve myself in negotiating with them how much weight we have on the bar and who gets to lift it and when and whether people are going to step back out of the way or whether someone will throw a tantrum that they don't feel you are being properly supportive or...

It has been a bit hard for me to try and find something else, to take it's place in my life.

I'm thinking about swimming. The ocean. I will need a wetsuit, though, at least... Or... There is a warm pool for lengths... That might be nice for me. I think the ocean will be better since I could be more properly alone out there...

I wonder if I will start to feel more social if I have the personal space of my own house. I might...

I get anxious about going out when I haven't gone out for a while...

What is it about going out that upsets you / gets you feeling nervous? Do you know? Or is it more a generalised sort of thing?